Eventually he does just that: placing his hand on the donor's still-beating heart during the surgery.

The Emperor himself reached into the chest cavity and drew out the still-beating heart.

His hair was red as blood, and he feasted on the still-beating hearts of his enemies.

In his hand there is grasped a still-beating heart.

The last thing he saw was Sadler removing his still-beating heart from its cage of bone.

He laid the still-beating heart on top of Richard's bare chest.

He tore the still-beating heart out of his chest and flung it to the wolves.

He pulled the sword out of Richard's chest and slid the still-beating heart off it.

Owen looked at the still-beating heart in his hand, and crushed it.

He'd promised to cut out her still-beating heart, and Jim always did what he said.